Stop pairing hook with people...

[markymark]

Hook is the type of you guy you must book for the AEW house shows, let him get more reps and idk try to give him some random partners to see if they click together...

[Jindrak Mark]

JungleHook shouldn't have been a full-time thing anyway so it's for the best, at least for JB. He spent years in a tag-team then had his big singles breakout at Full Gear. Moving immediately into another tag-team would be a step backwards.

I'm not sure where the forward momentum for him is right now though. TNT title? He seems to have hit the same glass ceiling Wardlow did after the MJF feud. He was so over and that could've been his Batista/HHH moment but instead of moving onto world title/main event stardom he just stuck around the midcard.

[cassonova]

Hook should be the anti-Sting in the fact that instead of turning on someone, he saves/befriends them. New person every month.

[Doo Doo Dickhead]

Feb 2, 2023 16:41:23 GMT -5 cassonova said:

Hook should be the anti-Sting in the fact that instead of turning on someone, he saves/befriends them. New person every month.

But Hook turns on a lot of people when he's on TV.

[cassonova]

Feb 2, 2023 20:53:40 GMT -5 Doo Doo Dickhead said:

Feb 2, 2023 16:41:23 GMT -5 cassonova said:

Hook should be the anti-Sting in the fact that instead of turning on someone, he saves/befriends them. New person every month.

But Hook turns on a lot of people when he's on TV.

"Do ya know what makes Daddy Magic's nipples hard?"

[Dr. Bolty, Disaster Enby]

I don't mind the idea of Hook being this disconnected avenger whose stock angle is making the save and tagging with someone to win a feud.

But I kinda mind that it feels like these two angles were done mostly for the portmanteau tag team name.

[defectiveepitaph]

Feb 2, 2023 10:45:30 GMT -5 chrom said:

Put him in actual matches instead of the wrestling equivalent of hobos who live in boxcars.

He hasn’t wrestled MOX yet.

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

Feb 2, 2023 10:45:30 GMT -5 chrom said:

It's been two years, it's time to sink or swim. Put him in actual matches instead of the wrestling equivalent of hobos who live in boxcars.

He has been in actual matches, selling offense, doing just about everything a normal wrestler does, put in spots and situations that maximize his pops and his abilities to this point, that is... essentially what you do with a young talent.

He has wrestled 20 matches total, career total, and the fact he is this over is a testament to that presentation and what they've been able to do with him. If people don't like the tag teams, sure, fair, but they get over. Hookhausen, Action Bronson, and Jungle Boy being in Hook matches didn't damage them, people enjoyed them, and it's never felt like an issue or a problem.

This "Sink or swim" stuff is weird to me for a kid who is only three years older than the number of official matches he has, and what he's doing isn't broke, and there's no need to fix it right now. He'll work his way up the cards eventually, the crowds actively want to see him and seemingly can't wait for anything he does. The pops he got just for the prospect of suplexing Big Bill say it all, Hook's young, he's still green, but his progression is real, the way he holds a crowd is real right now, and whatever they do next with him will likely continue that progression.

[cookiedoh85]

He’s only been actually wrestling for just over a year and is way more over than a lot of guys who have been doing it longer (how many other guys get a pop for their music hitting then another for when they actually appear?). He gets crowd reaction, ratings and views so he’s doing his job just fine. Hell only get better and the addition of house shows will help.

As for the tag team thing I think they might be building to JungleBoy vs HOOK for the FTW title. JungleBoy right now doesn’t slot into the other singles titles as they seem already occupied and with the TV time both have been given the last few weeks it’d be a waste if they weren’t on the PPV card.

JungleBoy gave nigh on the same ‘I’m going for singles gold’ promo that Lee Moriarty gave right before HOOK challenged him and I can see the same thing happening here. Have Christian interfere and cost JungleBoy the match against HOOK but have HOOK make the save with JB to fend off Christian so they both stay faces.

Think we get that or HOOK helping out JungleBoy again but this time JB ain’t happy and tells him he wanted to do stuff on his own, he shoves HOOK, brawl ensues, match made, easy.

[Bo Rida]

Feb 2, 2023 16:41:23 GMT -5 cassonova said:

Hook should be the anti-Sting in the fact that instead of turning on someone, he saves/befriends them. New person every month.

He should do that for as long as possible and then go up against a big heel stable.
Hook stands up all tough to then the stable leader laughs it off, "you and whose army?"
Then all of Hook's buddies appear to back him up like it's Avengers Endgame.

[polarbearpete]

Feb 2, 2023 10:45:30 GMT -5 chrom said:

It's been two years, it's time to sink or swim. Put him in actual matches instead of the wrestling equivalent of hobos who live in boxcars.

I agree he should start getting some longer matches, but it’s only been 14 months since his debut match, and he’s only had 20 matches total. Not sure he’s really capable of longer matches yet without being exposed. House shows would be helpful for him.

[mc74]

Feb 1, 2023 23:28:40 GMT -5 @thelongandtheshort said:

I really thought they were onto something with HookHausen.

A really simple story would have been Danhausen's antics making Hook corpse finally, and they become a simple buddy team of opposites where Hook does all the heavy lifting, only to end when Danhausen turns on him because he got greedy for more of the human monies.

Hook beats him stupid in a mid-card match at a ppv, and there you go. you got 3 months minimum of a program out of that.

Danhausen getting greedy for money only makes sense if he donates it to charity afterwards. Very good, very evil.

[Milkman Norm]

Feb 3, 2023 5:16:22 GMT -5 Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] said:

Feb 2, 2023 10:45:30 GMT -5 chrom said:

It's been two years, it's time to sink or swim. Put him in actual matches instead of the wrestling equivalent of hobos who live in boxcars.

He has been in actual matches, selling offense, doing just about everything a normal wrestler does, put in spots and situations that maximize his pops and his abilities to this point, that is... essentially what you do with a young talent.

He has wrestled 20 matches total, career total, and the fact he is this over is a testament to that presentation and what they've been able to do with him. If people don't like the tag teams, sure, fair, but they get over. Hookhausen, Action Bronson, and Jungle Boy being in Hook matches didn't damage them, people enjoyed them, and it's never felt like an issue or a problem.

This "Sink or swim" stuff is weird to me for a kid who is only three years older than the number of official matches he has, and what he's doing isn't broke, and there's no need to fix it right now. He'll work his way up the cards eventually, the crowds actively want to see him and seemingly can't wait for anything he does. The pops he got just for the prospect of suplexing Big Bill say it all, Hook's young, he's still green, but his progression is real, the way he holds a crowd is real right now, and whatever they do next with him will likely continue that progression.

And they've slowly having him bump and sell a little bit more over the course of his matches so when the time comes for him to have a real program and he needs to put someone ever in it it won't comes as a total shock.

[Bo Rida]

Oh. Just realised that he's been Hooking up with people.
Clever.

[Kalmia]

Hook is a tricky one because he's more over than his experience level says he should be. You push him too much and you run the risk of exposing him and destroying his aura. I think AEW is right to go slow with him, even if it is frustrating.

It's like Jade Cargill in a way. She's more over than her experience level too, but her look, size, and star presence in a division that's lacking all of those means you risk it. The men's division is in a better state so you can take your time with Hook.

That's how I see it anyway.

[Fade]

The excursion idea is dope, but I don’t see Hook doing it.

I did like the teaming with JB, mainly because he seemed more engrained into the regular roster and less of a Rampage commodity. I don’t mind them taking their time with him.

Putting him into a stable could alleviate things, but there isn’t any that feels right. I did have the thought last night “how cool would it be if Team Taz came back..” NEW TEAM TAZ, but yeah.

[Super Duper Dragunov]

Feb 2, 2023 20:53:40 GMT -5 Doo Doo Dickhead said:

Feb 2, 2023 16:41:23 GMT -5 cassonova said:

Hook should be the anti-Sting in the fact that instead of turning on someone, he saves/befriends them. New person every month.

But Hook turns on a lot of people when he's on TV.

Accurate.

[Deleted]

Feb 4, 2023 12:14:09 GMT -5 Fade said:

The excursion idea is dope, but I don’t see Hook doing it.

I did like the teaming with JB, mainly because he seemed more engrained into the regular roster and less of a Rampage commodity. I don’t mind them taking their time with him.

Putting him into a stable could alleviate things, but there isn’t any that feels right. I did have the thought last night “how cool would it be if Team Taz came back..” NEW TEAM TAZ, but yeah.

Honestly, with Regal being gone, I legit wouldn't mind seeing Taz fold what's left of the BCC into a new Team Taz stable to be the "technicians who like to do submissions" type of stable. 

Taz knows how to get heat, but he also knows how to be a lovable dad, too.